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Black Sheep & Company Mystery #5
The Silence of the Llamas
The Black Sheep Knitters attend a thread and fiber festival and end up investigating an attack against the local llamas in this fifth charming mystery series, with bonus recipes and knitting ideas.
Llama Drama!
Ellie and Ben Krueger arrived in Plum Harbor eager to live out their dream—tending a herd of gentle, friendly llamas for fun and profit, on a farm just beyond the village. Their grand opening fiber festival kicks off on a bright note but abruptly ends in malicious mayhem. Knitting shop owner Maggie Messina and her friends soon learn that this is not the first time a vicious visitor has called.
The Kruegers suspect that Justin Ridley, their eccentric neighbor, is the troublemaker. A misfit and loner, he’s known to roam the woods all night, though no one knows for sure what he’s hunting. Then there’s Angelica Rossi—the lovely owner of a rival fiber farm—who’s been as busy as a spider, spinning spiteful lies about the Kruegers’ yarns. Or, are the naïve newcomers merely caught in the tangle of Plum Harbor politics, and an intense land protection debate?
Suddenly, vandalism turns to murder—and the Kruegers’ dream descends into a nightmare. The Black Sheep knitters must pull the threads together and uncover this crafty menace . . . before more lives—and more llamas— are lost.
Llama Drama!
Ellie and Ben Krueger arrived in Plum Harbor eager to live out their dream—tending a herd of gentle, friendly llamas for fun and profit, on a farm just beyond the village. Their grand opening fiber festival kicks off on a bright note but abruptly ends in malicious mayhem. Knitting shop owner Maggie Messina and her friends soon learn that this is not the first time a vicious visitor has called.
The Kruegers suspect that Justin Ridley, their eccentric neighbor, is the troublemaker. A misfit and loner, he’s known to roam the woods all night, though no one knows for sure what he’s hunting. Then there’s Angelica Rossi—the lovely owner of a rival fiber farm—who’s been as busy as a spider, spinning spiteful lies about the Kruegers’ yarns. Or, are the naïve newcomers merely caught in the tangle of Plum Harbor politics, and an intense land protection debate?
Suddenly, vandalism turns to murder—and the Kruegers’ dream descends into a nightmare. The Black Sheep knitters must pull the threads together and uncover this crafty menace . . . before more lives—and more llamas— are lost.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 22, 2013
54 people are currently reading
830 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
February 13, 2017
I picked this one up for a challenge where I had to find llamas on a cover. Outside non-fiction, that isn't the easiest thing to do. I don't know much about these animals, although I did find out from this book they're usually sweet and make loyal pets. The title is funny for a cozy, and the quirky artwork works well as an attention grabber. As you've probably guessed, the Cozy theme is "Knitting".
What I didn't expect about a "cute cozy" was that the poor Llamas would be put through so much abuse! There's one scene where someone with a paintball gun shoots the group, injuring several by almost taking out the eye of one, gives a concussion and induces seizures in a second victim, and breaks the ribs of another. If that's not bad enough, a few chapters later one Llama is actually stabbed and bleeds to death in the arms of its owner.
While I want to learn crocheting (I'm the slowest person ever), knitting holds little interest for me. The main way it influences this fifth book of the series is because they all are part of a club that knits together. One of the members owns a Llama farm for their wool as a new business venture. After the Llamas are brutalized, the neighbor who makes threats has been murdered. The husband is the main suspect, so the knitters circle must rush to clear his name and find the actual culprit. There's some sideways tension such as not liking the lead detective, and the point of view shifts conservatively amongst 3-4 women. There are enough suspicious red herrings to keep it interesting and the reader unsure on the actual culprit. While I didn't warm up to this right away, it's one of those books that keeps getting better the further you read.
The dialogue isn't wholly convincing and suffers from the unrealistic name dropping and unneeded conversations about mundane, everyday things we care nothing about. There's also too much tell instead of show in the writing style. BUT the story gets better the longer it goes on, and some of the dialogue becomes downright charming and sometimes genuinely funny.
What I didn't expect about a "cute cozy" was that the poor Llamas would be put through so much abuse! There's one scene where someone with a paintball gun shoots the group, injuring several by almost taking out the eye of one, gives a concussion and induces seizures in a second victim, and breaks the ribs of another. If that's not bad enough, a few chapters later one Llama is actually stabbed and bleeds to death in the arms of its owner.
While I want to learn crocheting (I'm the slowest person ever), knitting holds little interest for me. The main way it influences this fifth book of the series is because they all are part of a club that knits together. One of the members owns a Llama farm for their wool as a new business venture. After the Llamas are brutalized, the neighbor who makes threats has been murdered. The husband is the main suspect, so the knitters circle must rush to clear his name and find the actual culprit. There's some sideways tension such as not liking the lead detective, and the point of view shifts conservatively amongst 3-4 women. There are enough suspicious red herrings to keep it interesting and the reader unsure on the actual culprit. While I didn't warm up to this right away, it's one of those books that keeps getting better the further you read.
The dialogue isn't wholly convincing and suffers from the unrealistic name dropping and unneeded conversations about mundane, everyday things we care nothing about. There's also too much tell instead of show in the writing style. BUT the story gets better the longer it goes on, and some of the dialogue becomes downright charming and sometimes genuinely funny.
November 6, 2016
I read this book entirely because of the cover. It caught my eye & at first I thought it might be set in South America (it isn't). I left it on the shelf, but then saw it again and couldn't resist the title and bright, colourful drawing that promised a light, entertaining and maybe funny read.
Anne Canadeo's The Silence of the Llama is the 5th book in the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery which follows the adventures of a knitting group centred on Maggie's fibre shop in Safe Harbor (near Boston). Ellie Kruger (the friend of psychologist Dana, a member of the knitting group) and her husband Ben have invested in the Laughing Llama farm, launching it with a grand Fiber Festival. But no one is laughing when llamas are injured during the fair. Tensions are running high in a fight between developers and conservationists and the Kruegers are caught in the middle. They are drawn further into the fray when a neighbour is found dead on their property. The police seemed single-minded in pursuit of their prime suspect but Maggie and her friends aren't so sure and begin to uncover other possible motives for the murder.
The Silence of the Llamas has a decent plot, I loved the setting and also the ladies of the knitting group - Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne, and Phoebe though Ellie was little annoyingly naïve and helpless. I found the start slow (and a bit repetitive), the style jarring at time (especially in the first 1/3 of the book) and thought that, while there was plenty of drama, not a lot happened even after a major clue to the murderer was unearthed (literally) and then all of a sudden the ladies solved the case. Having said that, I did enjoy the read and had fun showing the book to friends who spin and work with fibre over the weekend. It's a great concept for a murder mystery series.
Anne Canadeo's The Silence of the Llama is the 5th book in the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery which follows the adventures of a knitting group centred on Maggie's fibre shop in Safe Harbor (near Boston). Ellie Kruger (the friend of psychologist Dana, a member of the knitting group) and her husband Ben have invested in the Laughing Llama farm, launching it with a grand Fiber Festival. But no one is laughing when llamas are injured during the fair. Tensions are running high in a fight between developers and conservationists and the Kruegers are caught in the middle. They are drawn further into the fray when a neighbour is found dead on their property. The police seemed single-minded in pursuit of their prime suspect but Maggie and her friends aren't so sure and begin to uncover other possible motives for the murder.
The Silence of the Llamas has a decent plot, I loved the setting and also the ladies of the knitting group - Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne, and Phoebe though Ellie was little annoyingly naïve and helpless. I found the start slow (and a bit repetitive), the style jarring at time (especially in the first 1/3 of the book) and thought that, while there was plenty of drama, not a lot happened even after a major clue to the murderer was unearthed (literally) and then all of a sudden the ladies solved the case. Having said that, I did enjoy the read and had fun showing the book to friends who spin and work with fibre over the weekend. It's a great concept for a murder mystery series.
December 22, 2023
The trouble-making neighbor isn't the only victim in Anne Canadeo's "The Silence of the Llamas," part of the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries series. Nope. A beautiful and sweet girl also gets brutally attacked, and a new member of the Black Sheep knitting club is harassed with vandalism and other mischief.
Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne and, to a lesser degree, Phoebe step in to find the clues to solve the murder. Truthfully, though, they get no credit for figuring out who was behind the vandalism mischief.
This was a solid addition to the knitting series.
Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne and, to a lesser degree, Phoebe step in to find the clues to solve the murder. Truthfully, though, they get no credit for figuring out who was behind the vandalism mischief.
This was a solid addition to the knitting series.
December 31, 2020
I think I built this up so much in my head just from the title alone that there was no way it could have lived up to my perceived hype.
May 27, 2025
graphic depiction of llama-murder aside (not very cozy!) this was a solid installment in the series.
December 10, 2014
Anne Canadeo brings readers the fifth book in her Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series, The Silence of the Llamas. Canadeo has created a series that will intrigue the mystery enthusiast and soothe the soul of the knitters and crafters. With an eclectic cast of characters and plenty of twists and turns this light cozy mystery has something for many different types of readers. Readers looking for something a little unusual will love all of the llama drama this book has to offer.
What I liked:
I am a big fan of llamas in fact a friend of mine raises them for their wool and I was especially intrigued with this book, because of that connection. Canadeo obviously knows her subject matter and I'm not talking solely about llamas, I mean, knitting and spinning and crafting all of the things that go along with it. I felt like her knowledge was authentic and realistic. She didn't push it on the reader, but it was an essential part of the story. Often times I find that mystery doesn't always relate to the theme of the series, but that was certainly not the case with this one. It was an integral part.
I liked the Black Sheep knitters a lot. This being my first read in the series, I had a little trouble following who was who, but the cast profiles at the beginning of the book were helpful with that. After I finally got the hang of which one was Maggie, and which one was Dana and so forth it was not hard to follow. I didn't feel like I was missing a lot by not having read the other books in the series and found it pretty easy to pick up on things and establish relationships and so on. That's often hard to do because so much history and nuances have passed in the previous books, but this made a good standalone. I am however going to go back and read the others, because the women were so interesting and I felt like they had such a wonderful connection. Each personality was different but they all clicked so well as a group whether knitting or sleuthing.
The Laughing Llama farm was having a bit of trouble with their llamas. It was obvious that someone didn't want Ellie and Ben moving in on their territory. There was an element of animal cruelty that was a little hard to read, but definitely made the point of how serious the situation had become, with both animal and people. When Ben is accused of murder, Maggie and the knitters are out to prove his innocence. The mystery itself was well written and clue based. I liked the way the author sort of leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow. I was not at all sure I had the killer pegged until the final few chapters.
Bottom Line:
The Silence of the Llamas, certainly had it's drama. At the heart of this series there is a group of ladies who know their knitting and their sleuthing. I loved meeting them and deciphering all of their quirks and idiosyncrasies. The mystery was interesting and had enough red herrings to keep me off track. It's a good read as a standalone, but it will just make you want more of the Black Sheep Knitters!
What I liked:
I am a big fan of llamas in fact a friend of mine raises them for their wool and I was especially intrigued with this book, because of that connection. Canadeo obviously knows her subject matter and I'm not talking solely about llamas, I mean, knitting and spinning and crafting all of the things that go along with it. I felt like her knowledge was authentic and realistic. She didn't push it on the reader, but it was an essential part of the story. Often times I find that mystery doesn't always relate to the theme of the series, but that was certainly not the case with this one. It was an integral part.
I liked the Black Sheep knitters a lot. This being my first read in the series, I had a little trouble following who was who, but the cast profiles at the beginning of the book were helpful with that. After I finally got the hang of which one was Maggie, and which one was Dana and so forth it was not hard to follow. I didn't feel like I was missing a lot by not having read the other books in the series and found it pretty easy to pick up on things and establish relationships and so on. That's often hard to do because so much history and nuances have passed in the previous books, but this made a good standalone. I am however going to go back and read the others, because the women were so interesting and I felt like they had such a wonderful connection. Each personality was different but they all clicked so well as a group whether knitting or sleuthing.
The Laughing Llama farm was having a bit of trouble with their llamas. It was obvious that someone didn't want Ellie and Ben moving in on their territory. There was an element of animal cruelty that was a little hard to read, but definitely made the point of how serious the situation had become, with both animal and people. When Ben is accused of murder, Maggie and the knitters are out to prove his innocence. The mystery itself was well written and clue based. I liked the way the author sort of leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow. I was not at all sure I had the killer pegged until the final few chapters.
Bottom Line:
The Silence of the Llamas, certainly had it's drama. At the heart of this series there is a group of ladies who know their knitting and their sleuthing. I loved meeting them and deciphering all of their quirks and idiosyncrasies. The mystery was interesting and had enough red herrings to keep me off track. It's a good read as a standalone, but it will just make you want more of the Black Sheep Knitters!
February 15, 2013
A married couple that are friends of Dana, a member of the Black Sheep Knitting circle, move into Plum Harbor to raise Llamas and sell fiber arts and supplies. Ben and Ellie Krueger soon find that life isn't so sweet on the farm as they had dreamt.
During a 'Welcoming' Fiber Arts festival held by the Kruegers, the llamas come under attack and are physically injured. Shortly thereafter one dies by crime, and when a next farm owner, who is also a vocal political activist, dies, well the entire group of the knitting circle must become involved to help take the target off the new friends.
There is more than one farm's sabotage happening though and soon the fear escalates among the Black Sheep ladies, Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne, and Phoebe. Could there be developers involved and are the Kruegers so innocent as Dana believed?
This was a true cozy murder mystery. It is the fifth novel in the series and will please persons liking this fabric genre.
During a 'Welcoming' Fiber Arts festival held by the Kruegers, the llamas come under attack and are physically injured. Shortly thereafter one dies by crime, and when a next farm owner, who is also a vocal political activist, dies, well the entire group of the knitting circle must become involved to help take the target off the new friends.
There is more than one farm's sabotage happening though and soon the fear escalates among the Black Sheep ladies, Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne, and Phoebe. Could there be developers involved and are the Kruegers so innocent as Dana believed?
This was a true cozy murder mystery. It is the fifth novel in the series and will please persons liking this fabric genre.
January 27, 2013
The Black Sheep Knitters is a group that consists of Maggie Messina, the shop owner, and Lucy, Suzanne, Dana and Phoebe and Ellie. While their love of knitting draws them altogether, they have become great friends, and they use their weekly meetings to knit, gossip and share their lives in general. New comer Ellie's Laughing Llama Farm is the stage for the murders and most of the story.
I have not every read any books from this author previously. The book was a simple/easy read that kept me intrigued enough to continue reading until the end. I was surprised at the end by who was actually the murderer.
I have not every read any books from this author previously. The book was a simple/easy read that kept me intrigued enough to continue reading until the end. I was surprised at the end by who was actually the murderer.
February 17, 2017
I was highly anticipating this one but it really fell flat for me. I usually like this series but I kept waiting for something big to happen and it never did. Even after the murder (not a spoiler, it says this on the back of the book) it just felt like the story drug on wayyyyy too long. Sorry, Anne Canadeo but this is not your best work. I hope the next one is better (although from the synopsis that I've read online, I'm a little worried.... LOL.) The knitting references are always great though! LOVE those parts. :)
June 2, 2013
Did not like this one bit. I wish I had read another reader's warning about the cruelty to animals that takes place in this book; it made me feel ill and is haunting me. Once I got to the second act of cruelty I was done; have no interest in reading something like that.
Thought this would make a nice, easy, fun summer read. It is very simply-written. Oh well.
Thought this would make a nice, easy, fun summer read. It is very simply-written. Oh well.
October 6, 2018
I believe this is the fifth in the Black Sheep Knitting series. Mrs. Canadeo is improving in her ability to create viable suspects and hint at possible outcomes. I keep reading, because, the knitting, town, setting, and characters are likeable.
I would not allow my teen daughter to read it because of the immorality that is treated as normal.
I would not allow my teen daughter to read it because of the immorality that is treated as normal.
December 23, 2014
this was my first Black Sheep knitting mystery and it combined two loves... knitting and llamas. It was a fun read with more emphasis on the mystery than the knitting but with enough needlecraft to hook me. I'll be looking for more books in this series.
April 2, 2018
Pros: Involves llamas
Cons: Everything else
Just no. Don’t do this to yourself. Painfully obvious solution from literally less than 30 pages in, and the dialogue and character explanations are just horrendous.
Cons: Everything else
Just no. Don’t do this to yourself. Painfully obvious solution from literally less than 30 pages in, and the dialogue and character explanations are just horrendous.
October 15, 2024
It was fun to read this one during the autumn with the fall festival in it, and although the apple orchard was tangential to the story, it was reminiscent of another mystery series, Sheila Connolly's Orchard Mysteries. That's another series I'd recommend.
I loved the name of the farm: "The Laughing Llama Farm." I also liked the llamas, too, although they were silly.
I loved the charity event where the ladies sold their knitted projects for a worthy cause. I'm also aware of a charity where you can buy an animal (goat, cow, or chickens) or a tree for a struggling farmer overseas: Samaritan's Purse. If you want to order one, go to their Christmas catalog and scroll down to that option. It's at https://samaritanspurse.org/our-minis...
Also there's an orphanage in Liberia (Psalm 82:3 mission) where you can buy them a goat or some chickens. Their website is https://psalm823.org/
Although we only met the Dot character a couple of times, I liked how she came across to the knitting club. I feel like that introduction describes a woman I know - a hardworking, older woman who still works on a relative's farm. (Blueberry farm, in that instance.) She has been a friend to that family for many long years, and it is amazing the strength she has to continue farming, although she has been promised a lifelong income whether or not she continues to work.
It felt odd to me that while all these horrible things were happening to Ellie, she kept inviting people over and hosting them in social occasions. I felt like people should've been bringing her food instead.
For part of the story, it felt like the characters were too naïve, as if they hadn't spent enough time watching spooky movies.
Yes, of course it's a bad idea to lie to the police officers, whose job it is to determine who is lying. Beyond that, it was a little troubling that one of the characters, after lying to the police, felt like she hadn't done anything wrong. There were, of course, worse things she could've done, but it's not okay to lie to law enforcement.
This story had a lot of good red herrings - false clues that pointed to the wrong people - but not very many clues to the culprit. In fact, I don't think we had enough clues to tell before it was revealed.
Some readers would like an animal-cruelty trigger warning.
I loved the name of the farm: "The Laughing Llama Farm." I also liked the llamas, too, although they were silly.
I loved the charity event where the ladies sold their knitted projects for a worthy cause. I'm also aware of a charity where you can buy an animal (goat, cow, or chickens) or a tree for a struggling farmer overseas: Samaritan's Purse. If you want to order one, go to their Christmas catalog and scroll down to that option. It's at https://samaritanspurse.org/our-minis...
Also there's an orphanage in Liberia (Psalm 82:3 mission) where you can buy them a goat or some chickens. Their website is https://psalm823.org/
Although we only met the Dot character a couple of times, I liked how she came across to the knitting club. I feel like that introduction describes a woman I know - a hardworking, older woman who still works on a relative's farm. (Blueberry farm, in that instance.) She has been a friend to that family for many long years, and it is amazing the strength she has to continue farming, although she has been promised a lifelong income whether or not she continues to work.
It felt odd to me that while all these horrible things were happening to Ellie, she kept inviting people over and hosting them in social occasions. I felt like people should've been bringing her food instead.
For part of the story, it felt like the characters were too naïve, as if they hadn't spent enough time watching spooky movies.
Yes, of course it's a bad idea to lie to the police officers, whose job it is to determine who is lying. Beyond that, it was a little troubling that one of the characters, after lying to the police, felt like she hadn't done anything wrong. There were, of course, worse things she could've done, but it's not okay to lie to law enforcement.
This story had a lot of good red herrings - false clues that pointed to the wrong people - but not very many clues to the culprit. In fact, I don't think we had enough clues to tell before it was revealed.
Some readers would like an animal-cruelty trigger warning.
July 2, 2025
"The Silence of the Llamas," the fifth book in Anne Canadeo's Black Sheep & Company Mystery series, once again brings us back to Maggie Messina and her knitting circle, this time venturing out to a fiber festival with a side of llama drama. The premise—an attack against local llamas—certainly piques curiosity, promising a cozy mystery with a unique twist.
The story starts with Ellie and Ben Krueger, new to Plum Harbor, launching their fiber festival, only for it to be disrupted by some "malicious mayhem." Maggie and her friends, the Black Sheep Knitters, soon find themselves looking into a series of incidents beyond mere vandalism. The book introduces a few interesting characters as potential culprits, like the eccentric, reclusive neighbor Justin Ridley, or Angelica Rossi, a rival fiber farm owner with a knack for spinning spiteful lies. There's also the element of local politics and a land protection debate, which hints at deeper community tensions.
Canadeo's strength continues to be the comforting atmosphere of Plum Harbor and the camaraderie of the knitting club. It's a familiar world that cozy mystery fans can easily settle into, and the inclusion of bonus recipes and knitting ideas is a nice touch for enthusiasts. The Black Sheep knitters are a likable group, and their collective efforts to unravel the mystery are a core part of the series' appeal.
However, while the setting and characters remain charming, the mystery itself felt a bit slow to build momentum, and the "llama drama" aspect, while initially intriguing, didn't quite carry the full weight of the developing plot. When vandalism eventually escalates to murder, the reveal felt a bit less impactful than I'd hoped. Some of the red herrings and suspect developments didn't quite create the level of tension or surprise I look for in a mystery.
Overall, "The Silence of the Llamas" is a pleasant enough read for fans of the series and those who enjoy knitting-themed cozies. It offers the familiar comfort of Maggie and her friends in Plum Harbor, but the central mystery, while engaging, didn't fully grab me as much as previous installments.
★★★☆☆
#TheSilenceOfTheLlamas #AnneCanadeo #BlackSheepAndCompanyMystery #CozyMystery #BookReview #Bookstagram #KnittingMystery #LlamaDrama #PlumHarbor #AmateurSleuth #SmallTownMystery #Whodunnit
The story starts with Ellie and Ben Krueger, new to Plum Harbor, launching their fiber festival, only for it to be disrupted by some "malicious mayhem." Maggie and her friends, the Black Sheep Knitters, soon find themselves looking into a series of incidents beyond mere vandalism. The book introduces a few interesting characters as potential culprits, like the eccentric, reclusive neighbor Justin Ridley, or Angelica Rossi, a rival fiber farm owner with a knack for spinning spiteful lies. There's also the element of local politics and a land protection debate, which hints at deeper community tensions.
Canadeo's strength continues to be the comforting atmosphere of Plum Harbor and the camaraderie of the knitting club. It's a familiar world that cozy mystery fans can easily settle into, and the inclusion of bonus recipes and knitting ideas is a nice touch for enthusiasts. The Black Sheep knitters are a likable group, and their collective efforts to unravel the mystery are a core part of the series' appeal.
However, while the setting and characters remain charming, the mystery itself felt a bit slow to build momentum, and the "llama drama" aspect, while initially intriguing, didn't quite carry the full weight of the developing plot. When vandalism eventually escalates to murder, the reveal felt a bit less impactful than I'd hoped. Some of the red herrings and suspect developments didn't quite create the level of tension or surprise I look for in a mystery.
Overall, "The Silence of the Llamas" is a pleasant enough read for fans of the series and those who enjoy knitting-themed cozies. It offers the familiar comfort of Maggie and her friends in Plum Harbor, but the central mystery, while engaging, didn't fully grab me as much as previous installments.
★★★☆☆
#TheSilenceOfTheLlamas #AnneCanadeo #BlackSheepAndCompanyMystery #CozyMystery #BookReview #Bookstagram #KnittingMystery #LlamaDrama #PlumHarbor #AmateurSleuth #SmallTownMystery #Whodunnit
October 24, 2022
I haven’t visited this series since late June, and I said at the end of that review that I’d continue reading the series, but not for a while. I guess four months qualifies as a while.
The Black Sheep Knitters are a group of Massachusetts women who purchase yarn and take classes from Maggie Messina and her yarn shop. As the book opens, the amateur sleuths are visiting a fiber fair sponsored by a woman who raises llamas. She has a competitor, Angelica Rossi, who raises alpacas. As the day nears its end, one of the Black Sheep knitters rushes in from the fields to report that someone has injured the llamas by shooting them with paint guns. Soon thereafter, Justin Ridley dies when someone slams a wooden spindle through his throat. He is a neighbor to the couple who own the llama farm, and he was concerned that the couple would try the llama farming routine for a while then sell their land to developers. Never mind they have no such desire. The hostility between him and the Kruegers was real, but was that motive enough for Ben Krueger to commit a murder?
Naturally, Maggie’s cadre of close friends investigate.
The county residents in which the murder occurred divide depending on their viewpoint. One group wants to loosen so-called green space laws that prevent landowners from selling their holdings to protect farmland from sale to developers. Ridley was the leader of the group seeking to prevent the changes to the law. His death could be a good thing for developers.
Before this ends, a vengeful human endangers the llamas’ lives, and the black sheep knitters dig into the past to find a present-day killer.
I sensed who this killer was from as early as chapter two. That’s unfortunate. But this was a three-star decent read, and I’ll likely take on the next book in the series in three or four months.
The Black Sheep Knitters are a group of Massachusetts women who purchase yarn and take classes from Maggie Messina and her yarn shop. As the book opens, the amateur sleuths are visiting a fiber fair sponsored by a woman who raises llamas. She has a competitor, Angelica Rossi, who raises alpacas. As the day nears its end, one of the Black Sheep knitters rushes in from the fields to report that someone has injured the llamas by shooting them with paint guns. Soon thereafter, Justin Ridley dies when someone slams a wooden spindle through his throat. He is a neighbor to the couple who own the llama farm, and he was concerned that the couple would try the llama farming routine for a while then sell their land to developers. Never mind they have no such desire. The hostility between him and the Kruegers was real, but was that motive enough for Ben Krueger to commit a murder?
Naturally, Maggie’s cadre of close friends investigate.
The county residents in which the murder occurred divide depending on their viewpoint. One group wants to loosen so-called green space laws that prevent landowners from selling their holdings to protect farmland from sale to developers. Ridley was the leader of the group seeking to prevent the changes to the law. His death could be a good thing for developers.
Before this ends, a vengeful human endangers the llamas’ lives, and the black sheep knitters dig into the past to find a present-day killer.
I sensed who this killer was from as early as chapter two. That’s unfortunate. But this was a three-star decent read, and I’ll likely take on the next book in the series in three or four months.
March 6, 2023
Farm hands
Dana’s friend Ellie and her husband Ben have bought a farm near Plum Harbor to raise llamas; they host a kick off festival to welcome folks to their farm and demonstrate various fiber-related crafts - but the fun is interrupted when someone shoots at the llamas with paintballs, wounding several fairly severely. Ben suspects their neighbor, a Vietnam vet who has been unwelcoming, to put it mildly, but lacks proof; when he comes across the man’s body in his pasture a few days later, the police suspect their animosity reached deadly levels. But can it be so simple as that? The Black Sheep knitters rally around Ellie to help her cope with Ben’s predicament, eventually unearthing a twisted, sad history decades long.
Dana’s friend Ellie and her husband Ben have bought a farm near Plum Harbor to raise llamas; they host a kick off festival to welcome folks to their farm and demonstrate various fiber-related crafts - but the fun is interrupted when someone shoots at the llamas with paintballs, wounding several fairly severely. Ben suspects their neighbor, a Vietnam vet who has been unwelcoming, to put it mildly, but lacks proof; when he comes across the man’s body in his pasture a few days later, the police suspect their animosity reached deadly levels. But can it be so simple as that? The Black Sheep knitters rally around Ellie to help her cope with Ben’s predicament, eventually unearthing a twisted, sad history decades long.
December 30, 2024
A friend (AC) sent me a number of titles from this series.
I'm guessing the title was supposed to be a play on "silence of the lambs"? According to the book, llamas don't usually make sounds unless certain circumstances are met--so silence and llamas would seem to be the norm if you believe the book.
I guessed who the culprit was early on in the story.
I did like the open house/fiber festival idea. I'm glad Ellie decided to stay with the llama farm. I'm sorry she went through all that she did though. I was a bit unclear on whether all the acts of vandalism were carried out by the same person--there's a big difference between stuffing dung in a mailbox or writing a message on a wall and shooting llamas with paintballs or cutting one deeply enough that it dies.
I'm guessing the title was supposed to be a play on "silence of the lambs"? According to the book, llamas don't usually make sounds unless certain circumstances are met--so silence and llamas would seem to be the norm if you believe the book.
I guessed who the culprit was early on in the story.
I did like the open house/fiber festival idea. I'm glad Ellie decided to stay with the llama farm. I'm sorry she went through all that she did though. I was a bit unclear on whether all the acts of vandalism were carried out by the same person--there's a big difference between stuffing dung in a mailbox or writing a message on a wall and shooting llamas with paintballs or cutting one deeply enough that it dies.
December 3, 2017
This is the fifth book in the Black Sheep Knitting series. The knitters visit the opening festival for Ben and Ellie’s llama farm, but are surprised when a prank disrupts the festivities. They find out that there have been a series of mysterious actions at the farm, and when the pranks escalate to real harm, they work together to try to figure out who might be responsible and why they are targeting Ben and Ellie. There are many suspects and potential motives, including development of the land. There are a few red herrings, but eventually the mystery sorts itself out.
December 11, 2020
The part of the book where they decide to do quick projects to sell for $10 each is absurd. This is yarn from a yarn shop. Cheap big box store bulky yarn for a quick hat is normally $5 in supplies. For a book based around a lot of knitting the author sure undervalued quick knits in LYS yarn. Even cast off bin yarn.
Aside from that the story line seems more farfetched as to who the murder was than previous books in this series. Farfetched as in that's a highly unlikely set of circumstances this is all happening at once.
Aside from that the story line seems more farfetched as to who the murder was than previous books in this series. Farfetched as in that's a highly unlikely set of circumstances this is all happening at once.
February 24, 2023
It was the title that got me but the story was pretty good, too. If you have a group of people as your investigators then transitioning from one story to the next can be a little awkward and finding ways to make a tie-in relevant becomes increasingly difficult but this author has not reached that point so far. The difficulties between the neighbours and the rivalry with another wool shop all seemed logical and the characters are good. Not quite so sure about the ending.
The applesauce/carrot muffins are pretty good even without the icing.
The applesauce/carrot muffins are pretty good even without the icing.
October 26, 2017
A young couple bought a small farm in Plum Harbor and started a new life away from the busy city. This couple intends to raise llamas. The wife - Ellie - has made friends with the knitting shop owner Maggie and her group. Ellie and her husband plan a festival at the farm and in ends in disaster as their herd of llamas is attacked. Vandalism turns into murder and Maggie and her group decide they will investigate the crimes.
July 5, 2018
Another good story from Canadeo, though I don’t think it was much of a mystery. Still, this installment had a nice explanation of the town and a bit about local politics that I found very interesting. The friendship among these women keeps me coming back, though I do wish the Maggie character would get that stick out of her butt and lighten up a bit. She can be really judgemental and a little cold. Still, I enjoy the series and will keep going.
January 4, 2023
This was a well-written book. The clues were there but subtle, the action was pretty steady, there wasn't a lot of unnecessary repetition, and the knitting group characters were up to their usual excellent form. The way the llamas were involved in the plot was clever, but I found it moderately upsetting and not exactly what I generally hope for in cozy relaxation reading.
December 27, 2018
I enjoyed reading this book. Ilike country setting, the characters, the intrigue of who the murderer was. I like when tgeres's more than one suspects and especially the ending. Its's not who you think it is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2019
This is a very good series, but I didn't like this entry as much as I've liked the others. SPOILER ALERT!! This is because of the violence done to animals at the beginning of the book. Tho I love murder mysteries, I can't stand reading about harm being done to animals.
April 23, 2019
Ellie Krueger, Dana's friend, has a grand opening event at her Laughing Llama Farm. The grand event is destroyed by an attack on the llamas. Many suspects are investigated before a double surprise ending.
August 1, 2023
This really is a fun series, (even if the villain sometimes is obvious), with a likeable group of characters.
If you're a fan of New England, and familiar with Cape Cod's look and feel, you'll be walking down Plum Harbor's Main Street and into Maggie's shop in no time.
If you're a fan of New England, and familiar with Cape Cod's look and feel, you'll be walking down Plum Harbor's Main Street and into Maggie's shop in no time.
July 9, 2025
A very interesting story about rasing Llamas to gather their wool, spin it into yarn, and then knit it into finished garments. Also severl deaths along the way and a good plot. Looking forward to the next book.
September 12, 2017
Kindle
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